The three-in-one vacuum with clever tech to make cleaning a breeze
Our Shark PowerDetect Transformer Vacuum review
As a family of five who live in the countryside (with all the mud, dust and animal hair that comes with it) the vacuum is one of the pieces of tech that has to work the hardest in our house. The LX5000UKT PowerDetect Transformer Upright Vacuum Cleaner (to give it its full name) is three vacuums in one, so you can imagine my delight at putting it to the test.
What is the Shark PowerDetect Transformer Vacuum?
It’s an upright vacuum cleaner that transforms at the touch of a button into a lightweight corded stick vacuum, which can also become – at the touch of another button – a handheld vacuum.
Initially, you might wonder why you need three-in-one, but each version of the PowerDetect Transformer serves a different purpose. The upright vacuum is built to handle literally any mess – it can deep clean heavy debris and has a big enough unit to vacuum your entire home. The lightweight corded stick is ideal when you just need to do a quick tidy up – think fast, everyday use to keep things looking neat. Then the handheld vacuum is essential for cleaning trickier places, such as the stairs, the car or tight corners.
Also included in the box are a range of tools including: a duster crevice tool, a stair tool, a HairPro pet power brush, an anti-allergen dusting brush and a handy accessory bag to keep them all in.
And the best part? The cord! So many vacuums these days come with rechargeable batteries; it might be old-school (or old-fashioned?!) of me to say, but there’s nothing more annoying than the charge running out when you still have half the house to vacuum and mates coming over imminently. The PowerDetect Transformer’s cord is super long (8 whole metres!) so you can plug it in and get to work knowing you can do as much – or as little – as you want without running out of power.
What makes the Shark PowerDetect Transformer Vacuum special?
Not content with just offering three vacuums in one, the clever product designers at Shark have also equipped the PowerDetect Transformer with a load of clever tech to provide you with features you didn’t even know you wanted. For starters, there’s the PowerDetect technology which adapts in real time to your floors and debris, whether you’re on carpet, deep-pile or floorboards. The PowerDetect can actually sense dirt levels, edges and corners and automatically optimises suction and brush-roll speed for deep carpet cleaning and powerful hard-floor pick-up.
The self-cleaning brush-roll grips and captures dirt, dust and pet hair with no annoying hair wrapping around the brush, making it ideal for homes with pets… or homes with four girls with long hair that seems to shed excessively. I thought my carpets were already quite clean, but my previous vacuum clearly wasn’t up to the job because the first use of the PowerDetect Transformer brought up more dirt and dust than ever.
There’s also a ‘Reveal’ LED light feature designed for hard floors which acts like a headlight for the vacuum, illuminating hidden dirt you might not see in the corners and along your skirting board lines, as well as an Anti-Allergen Complete Seal with HEPA, which captures and traps 99.97% of dust and allergens.
If you don’t like getting your hands dirty when you’re reattaching the handheld unit back to the main body, don’t worry; the auto-empty pod automatically empties its small dust cup into the main primary canister. You don’t even have to press a button.
But my absolute favourite feature is the Anti-Odour Technology, which dispenses a fresh scent as you vacuum, leaving your home smelling fresh and odour-free.
How easy is it to use the Shark PowerDetect Transformer Vacuum?
It’s incredibly easy to use – just plug it in and off you go. The release buttons to transform the vacuum from stand-up, to lightweight corded stick, to handheld are intuitive and easy to use, while the auto-empty pod means you’re never grappling with dirt or dust.
The anti-odour pods are replaceable too, and the process to do this is also really easy.
Is the Shark PowerDetect Transformer Vacuum worth it?
Absolutely. It’s an investment that you won’t regret. I’d buy it for the clean-smelling anti-odour technology alone. There’s also a five-year guarantee included in the price, for a little extra peace of mind.
★★★★★
